This invention relates to the orthodontic treatment of teeth, and in particular it relates to an orthodontic applicance for holding teeth in a selected position, and to a method for forming the appliance.
In the field of orthodontics, conventional orthodontic devices such as bands or the like are often used for straightening teeth to bring them to a predetermined position of proper or close to proper occlusion. To bring teeth into a final position of desired orientation in the mouth, the orthodontist will often use any one of a number of different appliances including for example a Hawley device or a positioner, for example either a preformed positioner as described in my previous U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,736 or a custom made positioner as described in the Kesling U.S. Pat. No. 2,467,432.
Whichever appliance or combination of appliances are used, at one or more different times throughout the treatment process, and in particular at the end of the treatment process, the orthodontist wishes merely to maintain the teeth in a certain fixed position. The difficulty is that during the treatment process, i.e. as the teeth are being moved to different positions, the tissues tending to hold the teeth in any given position are somewhat weakened, as a result of which, whenever appliances are removed there is a strong tendency for a relapse, i.e. for the teeth to retreat to an earlier position rather than remain in the new position to which they have been moved. Therefore, there exists a need for a means which can be applied to a patient's teeth promptly after removal of any of the usual orthodontic appliances for positively holding the patient's teeth in a given selected position.